Liberman Brands Iranian Supreme Leader 'Hitlerian'

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman has taken to Facebook to brand Iran's Supreme Leader as "Hitlerian" Sunday, in response to comments in which Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denied the Nazi Holocaust.

"The omnipotent ruler and supreme spiritual authority of Iran, Ali Khamenei, disputed the existence of the Holocaust at the end of last week," said Liberman. "[Proving] that even after [former Iranian President] Ahmadinejad has gone, and after the smile offensive [of his successor Hasan Rouhani], beneath the beard of the Ayatollah lurks a little Hitlerian moustache."

The statement served as "another reminder to those who think that there is another Iran" under the Presidency of Rouhani, Liberman concluded.

Khamenei had been speaking during Persian New Year celebrations, known as Nowruz.

"In European countries, no one dares to talk about the Holocaust," he claimed, "and we do not know if it's real or not."

Khamenei also claimed that Holocaust-denial was an integral part of Iranian culture, and decried western attempts to criminalize the practice.

"Expressing opinion about the Holocaust, or casting doubt on it, is one of the greatest sins in the West. They prevent this, arrest the doubters, try them while claiming to be a free country," he said.

Since the election of President Hasan Rouhani late last year, Israeli officials have constantly rejected claims in the west that the Iranian regime was becoming more "moderate", pointing out that the Supreme Leader - who hand-selected those permitted to run for the presidency - is the real source of authority in the Islamic Republic.